Chapter 51: One Day Feels Like Three Autumns

**Chapter 51: A Day Feels Like Three Years**

Pang Bo dared not consume the Jade Serpent Orchid now, fearing it would pierce his Sea of Bitterness. His physique was not as formidable as Ye Fan's and could not withstand the immense influx of life essence. He had to go back and figure out a way.

"Did that muffled sound from deep within the ruins echo a few more times just now?" Ye Fan asked.

Pang Bo nodded. "For the past two hours or so, it's echoed every once in a while, sounding much more suppressed. The entire ruin has become even quieter; even the ferocious birds and beasts that retreated like a tide to the edge are no longer growling. It's fortunate, though, otherwise I'd truly fear that old serpent chasing us."

"That muffled sound terrifies all the beasts. I wonder if that Jade-Horned Serpent has also left."

"That old serpent, which has become a spirit, must be furious. It's best if it has already left. Otherwise, if we head deeper into the ruins later, we might encounter it."

"What's that smell?" Ye Fan looked puzzled. "Why is there a faint stench...?"

Pang Bo also took a deep breath, his expression instantly changing. "It smells like that old serpent!"

Just then, Ye Fan's face changed dramatically. He pulled Pang Bo and whispered, "Quick, let's go!"

A few hundred meters ahead, a hideous, massive snake head emerged from beneath the cliff. Its body was covered in palm-sized, iridescent scales that glinted menacingly. Its red lantern-like eyes emitted two beams of blood-red light, and its two to three-meter-long tongue flicked, hissing, instantly turning any vegetation it touched on the cliff into yellow liquid.

"The old serpent is after us!"

Pang Bo's face also fell instantly. He hadn't expected this demonic serpent to eventually track them down. Their only consolation was that it hadn't spotted them yet. Above the cliff were many towering ancient trees. The two quickly retreated to the back of the cliff face, grabbed onto vines, and jumped down.

Even a moment's delay could mean their lives. The old serpent must have already gone berserk, and if it discovered their tracks, their tragic fate was imaginable.

Ye Fan and Pang Bo were incredibly swift, like two gibbons. They rushed and leaped, quickly swinging down the cliff face using vines until they reached the ground, then fled without looking back.

"If that old serpent holds a grudge against us, we're truly in danger." As they fled, they glanced back. On the sheer cliff, a mottled giant serpent stood upright, its eyes shooting out two beams of blood-red light. The jade horn on its head shimmered brightly under the sunlight, continuously emitting divine radiance.

"Boom, boom, boom!"

A rumbling sound echoed from the cliff face. Huge boulders continuously rolled down, and many trees were crushed by the old serpent. It descended along the cliff, swiftly pursuing them in their direction.

"Damn, it found us!"

"Let's quickly run back and let Elder Wu Qingfeng deal with this demonic serpent."

"No, that old serpent is too fast, and those ferocious birds and beasts are blocking the way outside. It will definitely catch us halfway. There's no other choice now; we must rush deeper into the ruins. That muffled sound seems to deter the old serpent. It's apprehensive and likely won't dare to go too deep."

Having decided, the two transformed into two streaks of light and rapidly rushed deeper into the ruins. But this Jade-Horned Serpent had become a spirit, extraordinary and miraculous. Its speed was like a whirlwind and lightning, able to command strong winds. All vegetation in its path was flattened to either side, clearing a path for it.

"Rumble, rumble, rumble!"

Boulders tumbled. The old serpent was more ferocious than a road roller, causing the earth to shake and mountains to sway wherever it passed, breaking grass and snapping trees. Nothing could stop it. The hissing of its tongue grew closer and closer, and waves of pungent, fishy odor continuously assailed them.

Ye Fan felt no discomfort, but Pang Bo felt dizzy and lightheaded. "This old serpent's venom is too potent. Even hundreds of meters away, the poisonous mist is drifting over. I feel my body weakening."

"Quick, eat a petal of the Jade Serpent Orchid!" Ye Fan was also anxious. The old serpent's speed was astonishing, drawing closer and closer, about to catch up. If anything happened to Pang Bo, it would be too late for regrets.

Pang Bo dared not swallow the entire Jade Serpent Orchid. He intended to tear off a single petal, like mutton-fat jade, from the top, but still felt it was too risky, fearing the potency would be too strong and pierce his Sea of Bitterness. Ultimately, he plucked some of the anthers and put them into his mouth, dissolving them slowly.

"How do you feel?" Ye Fan was terrified of anything happening to Pang Bo.

"Truly miraculous!" Pang Bo let out a long breath. Soon after consuming it, the nauseous feeling vanished, his dizziness gone. He felt refreshed and quickly halted the invasion of the serpent venom.

"It truly lives up to its name as a spiritual medicine, capable of neutralizing any exotic poison in the world." Ye Fan felt relieved.

"Snap, snap!"

Behind them, the old serpent closed the distance again, brutally snapping the ancient trees blocking its path with terrifying force. The low shrubs and other vegetation automatically parted, revealing a serpent's path. The old serpent, with blood-red eyes, suddenly spewed a large mouthful of poisonous mist. Although still over a hundred meters away, it rapidly surged forward. Hissing sounds continuously echoed around them as the trees near Ye Fan and Pang Bo rapidly melted, all turning into yellow liquid, an utterly horrifying sight.

If they hadn't consumed the Jade Serpent Orchid, their fate would be unimaginable; they would likely be a puddle of corrosive liquid by now.

"This serpent venom is too potent!"

"If this continues, we won't escape death. The old serpent will catch us soon."

An ordinary person would have been caught by the old serpent long ago. Its speed was too great; the spirited Jade-Horned Serpent moved with the wind, truly like lightning. Ye Fan and Pang Bo had consumed the Sacred Fruit in the Ancient Forbidden Land, not only gaining the strength of a dragon-elephant but also significantly increasing their speed. Otherwise, anyone else would have been overtaken by now.

"Hold on. I think that muffled sound will echo again soon. When it does, the old serpent will undoubtedly be afraid, and that will be our chance to escape."

The ground shook, and boulders tumbled. The old serpent was almost upon them, only seventy to eighty meters away. Ye Fan and Pang Bo finally changed their expressions, making a sharp turn and quickly dodging to the side.

"Whoosh!"

The old serpent darted past, but it wasn't as clumsy as they imagined. Its enormous tail swept across like a massive iron whip slashing through the air, instantly sweeping away a patch of trees, scattering leaves everywhere, and releasing a pungent, fishy odor.

Although Ye Fan and Pang Bo weren't struck by the dozens of meters long giant serpent tail, they were hit by the broken trees. The enormous logs, as hard as stone, slammed into their bodies, instantly sending them flying.

If their physiques weren't extraordinary and their divine strength astonishing, capable of resisting such a powerful impact, their bones would have been shattered and tendons torn. Even so, their blood surged, and they staggered for dozens of steps before regaining their balance.

Suddenly, an immense sense of danger enveloped both of them. Just then, a piercing whoosh cut through the air. The jade horn on the old serpent's head shot out a dazzling beam of light, like a dozens-of-meter-long sharp sword, slashing towards them.

"Run!"

Ye Fan and Pang Bo's expressions changed. They dashed out with all their might, leaving two afterimages behind.

"Sssst!"

That twenty-meter-long divine light beam directly sliced through many ancient trees, and it left a terrifying large crack on the ground. Even several huge boulders blocking their path were cut in half, their cross-sections incredibly smooth, as if sliced through tofu.

"That spirited demonic serpent is too terrifying!"

A chill ran through Ye Fan and Pang Bo's hearts. There truly was no free lunch in this world; obtaining anything without paying a price was impossible. If not for the drastic changes deep within the ruins, they would have had no chance to pick the Jade Serpent Orchid at all. Even so, they were now being chased with no escape route, nowhere to run.

"We can last for half an hour at most!"

"Thump!"

The moment their words fell, a muffled sound suddenly echoed from deep within the ruins. Ye Fan and Pang Bo felt as if struck by lightning, their bodies trembled violently, and their hearts ached. The giant serpent reacted even more intensely, rolling directly onto the ground, fiercely writhing its massive body and crushing a large area of surrounding trees.

"Go, quickly!"

Stabilizing their minds, Ye Fan and Pang Bo fled like the wind, daring not to linger for a moment.

The muffled sound ceased, and the entire ruin grew even more oppressive. Ye Fan and Pang Bo couldn't retreat; the old serpent blocked their way back, forcing them to continue forward. Soon, they reached a giant boulder over a hundred meters high, climbed up along the vines, and looked back.

"Damn it, that old serpent is still chasing us..."

In the distance, the trees were swaying. Although the Jade-Horned Serpent's speed had slowed slightly, it was still pursuing them along the path they had taken.

"This can't go on. It might chase us all the way into the deepest part of the ruins." Ye Fan and Pang Bo felt a strong sense of unease.

"These spirited creatures are truly not to be trifled with!"

"Huh, there are figures moving ahead." Ye Fan looked surprised. A few figures were swiftly traversing the mountainous terrain ahead.

Pang Bo squinted and said, "It's... Li Lin, Li Yun, Han Feiyu and the others!"

"It seems those people have the same idea as us, all wanting to seize this rare opportunity to enter the depths of the ruins and collect as much as possible."

At that moment, Ye Fan and Pang Bo exchanged a glance and both chuckled. They quickly climbed down the giant boulder, then sped forward like lightning.

Li Lin, Li Yun, Han Feiyu, and the others aimed for the ancient structures deep within the ruins. They knew this primeval ruin far better than Ye Fan and Pang Bo. They understood that today's abnormality wasn't due to a beast king's struggle but likely a change occurring within the ancient architectural complex deep inside the ruins. If they could successfully enter that area, there might be unimaginable opportunities, considering this ruin had existed since the Desolate Ancient Era.

"Someone's approaching, and they have the same idea as us." Li Yun's eyes showed a murderous glint. "Let's intercept them later. Who knows, they might have already found some spiritual treasures."

"It's Pang Bo and that good-for-nothing named Ye Fan!" Li Lin, her eyes filled with murderous intent, watched the two rapidly approaching figures. "They dare to approach us? They're asking for death!"

Han Feiyu's face was even more consumed by hatred, and two ruthless beams of light shot from his eyes.

Ye Fan and Pang Bo were very fast, reaching a short distance away in just a moment.

"Li Lin, Brother Li Yun, I never expected to meet you here! What a coincidence, it must be fate!" Ye Fan and Pang Bo pretended to be overjoyed and deeply moved, as if reuniting with long-lost relatives. They rushed over, expressing unspeakable happiness and warmth.

"A day apart feels like three years, and two days apart is six years! We're finally reunited!" Ye Fan and Pang Bo strode forward with great enthusiasm, almost wanting to rush over and hug them to express their joy.

This made Li Lin and Li Yun's group completely uncomfortable. Goosebumps quickly rose all over their bodies, and they all involuntarily shivered.

Li Lin instantly showed disgust. She glanced at Pang Bo, then contemptuously at Ye Fan, and said, "Stop trying to get close to us. Whatever you do is useless and won't change anything." She stood on a large boulder, looking down at Pang Bo and Ye Fan with a cruel expression, saying coldly, "You two are truly audacious. Aren't you afraid of dying prematurely in this forest? The depths of the ruins are not for good-for-nothings to casually enter!"

Li Yun's expression was also icy cold. He stared at Ye Fan and Pang Bo, sneering repeatedly, considering whether to act immediately. His only concern was that Elder Wu Qingfeng might have left a mark on Pang Bo, allowing them to trace what happened later.

Despite being humiliated and facing clear murderous intent, Ye Fan and Pang Bo acted as if nothing was amiss, being completely at ease and familiar. They joined the group, and to make matters worse, both of them together grabbed Han Feiyu's hand, repeatedly exclaiming, "Han Feiyu... you're truly a good person!"

"Did you pick some spiritual medicine? Why does your body smell so fragrant?" Li Lin's murderous intent was fully revealed, the beauty mark at the corner of her mouth trembling slightly. But in an instant, her expression changed again, and she said, "Something's not right. Why is there a foul, fishy odor drifting over?"

"Rumble, rumble, rumble!"

Just then, the group felt the ground tremble and turned to look back.

"That's... a serpent spirit!"

"The old serpent has become a spirit—it's the Jade-Horned Serpent!"

Everyone present changed color. They saw an old serpent with a single horn moving with the wind, flattening all vegetation, rapidly charging towards them. The heavy, fishy odor was enough to make one gag.

"Damn it, it's you two..."

Li Lin, Li Yun, Han Feiyu, and the others instantly understood everything. They wished they could crush Ye Fan and Pang Bo into ashes then and there, but this was not the time for anger. They turned and fled in utter disarray.

"Han Feiyu, you truly are good people..." Ye Fan and Pang Bo said this to Han Feiyu and the others behind them as they made their escape.